Princes and Thieves
by Ashen Skies
Summary: [2x1x2] The young new King is on a tour of his country when he finds a braided boy from his childhood, before J took over his life and changed him. Can Duo help him remember how to be less than perfect?
1. Prologue: One for Sorrow, Two for Joy

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Disclaimer: I don't own or have any relation to Gundam Wing or any other Gundam series. I'm not making any profit from this, unless you count reviews.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 and others upon mass request (I can't choose between 5x6, 5x13, 6x13, 5x6x13, 5xM or 5xS…)

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**Princes and Thieves**

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**Prologue: One for Sorrow, Two for Joy**

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Quiet, muffled sobs wracked the small five-year-old body curled up into a ball, alone in a huge four-poster bed. The heavy red velvet curtains that enclosed every side of the mattress dyed red what little moonlight managed to filter in. They formed a little cave, a little hideout in which the boy could hide his weakness.

Suddenly he felt some cold night air waft across his back and sat up, rubbing his eyes hastily. He blinked at the head bobbing in mid-curtain, staring wide-eyed back at him.

"Why're ya cryin'?" the head asked curiously in a loud whisper.

"I'm not!" he hissed. He rubbed at his face again and tried to look scary like his father did. It didn't work, though, since the head just tilted to one side curiously.

"You _were_ cryin'."

"I was _not_! Who are you, anyway? What are you doing in my room?"

The curtains were pulled back. The head was attached to a thin body dressed in rags, and had hair in a braid that hung over one shoulder. A bright grin showed surprisingly white teeth as the intruder declared, still speaking in a whisper, "I'm Duo! I'm five, just like you!"

"How do you know I'm five?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're Prince Heero, aren't ya?"

"Yes," Heero admitted. Glancing towards the door apprehensively, he moved to one side of the bed, his trusting child's nature not thinking twice about inviting this unexpected visitor to sit with him. "You'd better come in before the guards catch you."

Duo looked at the fine embroidery on the silk sheets and winced. "I'll dirty 'em."

"I don't care."

"Okay, then!" Duo clambered in, the bed dipping under his weight but making no noise. Heero pulled the curtain shut and turned back to face Duo, who had made himself comfortable sitting cross-legged.

"Why were ya cryin'?" Duo asked again, curiosity insatiable.

Heero looked down. "I was beaten by my father because I was friendly to the servants," he said in a small voice. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't tower over him, or bowed every time they saw him.

"What? That's _evil_!" Duo made a face.

"He said I must not have friends." Heero looked like he was about to cry again. "I just want someone to play with, that's all…"

"Hmph! _I'll_ be your friend, then!"

Heero looked up, shocked. "You will?"

"Yup!" Duo said with all the conviction of a five-year-old. "It'll be our li'l secret, kay? I'll come 'ere at night an' y'can tell me anythin'! An' I'll teach ya lotsa fun things t' play!"

"Really?" Heero looked like he couldn't believe his luck.

"Really!"

Duo looked at the disbelieving expression still on his newfound friend's face and leaned over to give the other boy an impulsive hug. When he pulled back, there was a tentative smile on the young prince's face.

"You'll be my friend? Forever?" Heero asked shyly.

"Forever!" Duo agreed cheerfully.

For a promise made in fickle childhood, it had more sincerity in it than many made in maturity, and it was one that would last for a long time to come.

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"Your Majesty, we have caught the rat that's been evading our forces for some time now. Do you want to see him?"

"Send him in."

King J smiled at his ten-year-old charge, sitting straight beside him in the smaller throne to his right. "If this thief is really as good as they say, maybe we can integrate him into our court, hmm?"

"Yes, my Lord," Heero murmured.

The commotion outside, consisting of yelps, curses, and general ruckus, served to make J turn back to face the entrance. Heero stiffened in horror, having recognized one of the voices.

"Bastards, all of ya, motherless suckers who – ow!"

"Shut up!"

The entire court watched, half-amused and half-shocked, as no less than _four_ guards dragged a small, struggling figure into the hall. One of the guards, seeing so many nobles watching, hurriedly gave a resounding _whack_ to the figure's head, which stunned him enough for the guards to tie his hands and feet. Then they shoved him forward to sprawl before the King, and stood to either side, watching.

King J's nasty smile widened. "Impressive, young man. You _are_ male, aren't you? That braid is highly unusual."

The volley of curses served to inform everyone within hearing what the boy thought of the King.

"And creative, too. When my guards told me there was a thief running loose who was particularly hard to capture, I had expected someone… older."

A sullen silence.

"Either you become part of our army, and train under me, or you will be publicly executed. Which is it?"

That prompted a burst of voices, one voice rising above. "But he will betray us if he joins the army, my Lord!"

"Did I ask for your opinions?"

The crowd was silenced by J's silky, menacing tone. The king ruled with fear, and the promise of immediate execution should anyone displease him.

"Good. Now, my boy, which is it?"

The little figure spat on the carpeted ground. "Whaddya think?"

The King's smile froze. "Take him away and behead him."

"NO!"

This time, _everyone_ was silenced, even the thief, as they all stared at the small figure who had shot to his feet. The young Prince turned to the King. "Please, let him go," he pleaded.

"And why should I?"

"He – he's my age! Doesn't he deserve another chance?"

The King glanced towards the thief, whose violet eyes were wide with fear – for the prince? He looked back towards his heir, whom he had tried to train to be the perfect monarch, cold and analytical, but for some reason was failing… he put two and two together, and smiled a slow, cold smile. "The law is the law, exempt for no one."

"I…" Heero saw the expression on J's face and knew that the king knew, and he also knew what the king wanted. Clenching his fists, he lowered his head. "I will… excel in your training," he said softly, fighting to keep the venom from his voice.

J laughed, then, a chill laugh full of victory. "Excellent, my boy. It is agreed. Guards! Knock him out and put him on the next convoy to the most remote village on our borders. Make sure he will not have a chance to escape."

Heero's head shot up. "You said you would let him go!" he cried.

"I didn't say _where_."

"Heero – don't do it! Don't let him control – " Duo slumped to the ground, then, and the guard who had knocked him out bowed respectfully to the King. "I will take him now, your Majesty."

"Yes, do so."

Heero remained frozen, then turned hate-filled eyes towards his guardian. "This voids our agreement," he hissed.

"In that case, I have no qualms about beheading him."

They stared each other down. Heero was the first to look away. "Damn you," he growled, flinging himself back into his seat.

J nodded at the hovering guards. "Take him away," he snapped.

Heero's eyes were fixed on the limp figure being carried away. "Please," he whispered. "Let no harm come to him.

"Let me see him again."

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Review, please? Without reviews I have no inspiration to write.

Heero might seem OOC here, but remember he hasn't succumbed to J's training yet.

First chapter: J is dead and Heero is king. First thing he does, as king, is to tour the country. Even the remote villages on the border…

[Ashen Skies][All that we see or seem]


	2. One: The New King

**Disclaimer:** I don't own or have any relation to Gundam Wing or any other Gundam series. I'm not making any profit from this, unless you count reviews.

**Pairings:** 1x2, 3x4 and likely 5x6

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**Princes and Thieves**

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**Chapter One: The New King**

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The villagers had all gathered in the square in the centre of their small village. They were few in number, with a population of only about a hundred, and located in a very remote spot at the entrance to the mountain passes. And so, aptly, they were named Mote, both for their tiny size and remote position.

This information had been whispered to the young king before he rode into the village, sitting regally on his horse. Wing was his pride and joy, in a world where he did not take pride in many things and enjoyed even less. The stallion was snow-white, except for a black sock on its front right leg, and trained such that even if it sensed a mare, it would not react at all.

The villagers were in awe of the king, each unable to meet his piercing, deep cobalt blue eyes. Even the messy dark brown hair didn't retract from his magnificence, since sculpted features and a lean body more than made up for the state of his hair, which wasn't too bad, actually, it looked rather good on him, if you see what I mean, don't you think so? And the horse! The villagers had only ever seen one horse as magnificent as the king's, and they knew how much effort had been put into the care of that one other horse. Whose owner, incidentally, hadn't come back yet, the silly boy.

The party stopped in the centre of the square, ringed by the villagers. The squadrons that followed the king spread out to form a second circle around the crowd, alert for any sign of danger to their king. All eyes were fixed on the small three-person party in the middle, looking unlike most nobles in their simple, common leather and cloth outfits.

A slim boy with white-blond hair and light blue-green eyes beamed at the crowd from atop his light brown mare. "A good day to you, villagers of Mote! I think you already know who we are and our purpose here. Yet the rule of politeness dictates that we must introduce ourselves, so I shall begin the introductions for the thousandth time." A murmur of laughter rippled through the crowd. They already knew who this smiling angel must be, for it was said the King trusted no one but two friends, and one of them was as quiet as he.

"I am Quatre Raberba Winner. Please, if you have to address me, do not stand on formality. Call me Lord Quatre. I'd prefer simply 'Quatre', but I'm afraid it would be too awkward for you, am I right?" Heads nodded, and he smiled again. "Trowa?"

A tall boy, with only one clear green eye visible, the other hidden behind outrageous brown bangs, cleared his throat and spoke in a calm voice that carried easily over the crowd. "Greetings to you all. I am Trowa Barton." He patted his dark brown gelding reassuringly when she fidgeted.

Then the king spoke, and the villagers were all ensnared in the power that his strong, low tenor radiated. "I am your new king, Heero Yuy. Please do not call me 'your majesty', 'sire', or any other way you address loyalty. At most, use the title 'Lord'. I lead by serving you, and that is the purpose of this tour of my country. To personally see how you, my people, have suffered under the previous king, so as to be able to better correct the situation. If you have any serious grievances, come to my aides, Quatre and Trowa, or me. I hope there will be nothing but honesty, and hopefully friendship, between us." And to add to their surprise and shock and growing respect, he bowed to them from Wing's back.

When he straightened, Quatre, seeming oblivious to all the awed silence, asked cheerfully, "Is there a large, empty field we can set up camp in? We number sixty, so it doesn't have to be such a large field."

Immediately the villagers began protesting, saying that they would welcome the soldiers into their homes. Heero held up a hand. "We do not want to impose on you," he said, when the noise settled. "We are here not to cause more trouble, but to solve it."

"But my Lord, it wouldn't be any trouble! We'd be honoured to house you."

"It's alright, we're used to it," Quatre laughed. "A field, please?"

A man stepped forward. "My house is at the edge of the village, and beyond that parallel to the mountains there is a stretch of field. You could camp there. It is near the stream that also runs parallel to the mountains, as well."

Heero nodded. "That will do fine. Thank you. Could we trouble you to show us the way?"

"Oh, no trouble at all, my Lord."

The crowd parted to let the man and the three on horseback move past them, the squadrons immediately following. Once the king and his aides were gone from sight, the villagers began talking excitedly among themselves.

"He seems to honestly want to help us!" one woman said wonderingly. "Such a nice boy, so different from King J. That bastard never did anything as thoughtful as this. A pity he has to shoulder such a large burden at such a young age," she sighed, maternal instincts kicking in. "Did you see how thin they all were?"

"Yes, we must stuff them at tonight's feast!" her friend agreed. "I have a good feeling about the young king. Let's hope he'll be the one to set this country to rights."

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"A beautiful quaint village you have here, sir," Quatre smiled. "Do you get a lot of trouble from bandits, being so near the mountain passes?"

"It's Hector Maxwell, Lord Quatre," the man said, flustered. "The people call me Father Maxwell, as I am the only pastor. I'm naught but a lowly peasant, not a 'sir'."

"You are not lowly."

Father Maxwell looked into deep blue eyes and saw the fierce sadness and conviction in there. "Yes, my Lord," he whispered, feeling a rush of fatherly concern for his king. Why, his own boy was around the same age, yet nowhere as burdened. "Forgive me."

The king nodded curtly and turned his gaze forward again. Soon, they arrived at the last house, and beyond that the boys could see a grassy plain stretching into the distance, with a river running to their far right, nearer to the mountains. There was a forest after a league or so of grass, a large one that stretched from right to left without any end.

"Is this your house?" Quatre asked, looking at the cozy little building they were in front of.

"Yes," Father Maxwell smiled. "My humble home."

"Then you may rest here, while we continue on."

"No, Lord Quatre, there is no need. I will accompany you, as the rule of politeness dictates."

Quatre laughed, a bright and clear sound, while Trowa and Heero smiled slightly, unable to keep their lips from quirking. "Father, I'm impressed!" the blond chuckled. Father Maxwell was smiling as well, the laugh-lines on his worn face crinkled.

"Would it be too much trouble if we sat in your home and talked? I would like to hear about how your village is faring," Heero suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, a good suggestion, my Lord! You are welcome in my home."

Heero nodded and turned to the man behind him on a rust-red horse, his long silver hair tied in a ponytail and his ice blue eyes sharp. "Captain Zechs, would you mind leading the men to set up camp in the field first?"

"Not at all, my Lord. Right away. Your tents will be in the middle of our camp, as usual."

"Ryoukai. Remember to leave a pathway for anyone who wants to ride in and out of the village."

Zechs nodded and turned to shout commands to the men behind him, while the three at the head of the mass of people and horses turned left and entered the courtyard of the Father's house.

"We have a stable, but it only holds one horse, I'm afraid. You can tie your horses to the fence here, Lord Quatre, Lord Trowa. If you would follow me – "

"There's no need," Heero interrupted. "I will leave my horse with Quatre and Trowa."

"Oh… alright, then."

The three dismounted and brought their packs in with them, leaving the horses saddled. Entering the house, they saw immediately the care and love put into keeping it; flowers everywhere, small decorations scattered around, and warm colours painted on the walls.

"This is the kitchen, and the only table large enough to accommodate us all. Please, sit," Father Maxwell invited. They gladly did, having endured days of riding and sometimes walking for hours on end.

The older man smiled kindly at the three boys. "Ask away, my Lords. Anything I can help you with, I will."

The three traded looks, and Quatre spoke. "I asked you about the bandits, previously. Are they preying on your village?"

The Father sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. The mountains are a favourite hideout for them. All of us men, and even a few of the women and children, have learnt to fight. They come down on us when conditions in the mountains are harsh and food is scarce, so usually we are attacked in winter. We try not to venture too far away from the village."

They went on to various other topics, ranging from food to taxes. Heero himself took notes, to the (hidden) surprise of Father Maxwell, who had expected him to ask either of his aides to help. His respect grew as the discussion continued, awed by the maturity and brilliance the three young-looking boys unintentionally displayed, yet at the same time he felt sad. Trowa and Heero were jaded, their inputs blunt and cynical. He caught Quatre looking at them from time to time with the same sad look he knew was in his own eyes.

So caught up in their talk that two hours passed before they knew it, and the sun was not as scorching as it had been at noontime, three hours past. Suddenly a commotion outside the house was heard, and the agitated neighing of horses.

Heero shot up with a gasped, "Wing!" and ran out of the house, Quatre and Trowa following, worried about their own beloved horses. They skidded to a stop outside, staring. A gorgeous black horse with a white star on his forehead was rearing in the courtyard, flailing its front hooves at a few panicked soldiers. Wing, Sandrock and Heavyarms were scuffing the dirt, agitated by the black horse.

The king's eyes were wide. "Whose horse is that?" he breathed, awed. "Almost as beautiful as my Wing…"

"Scythe!" came the gasp from behind the three nobles, and they turned to see Father Maxwell, face white. "That's Scythe, my son's mare! He went for a ride with a friend this morning – something must have happened!"

Heero glanced at Trowa and nodded. The green-eyed boy strode forward. "Stand back!" he snapped at the soldiers, who gratefully did so. Trowa slowly approached the black horse, murmuring soothingly, hands held in front of him. The horse stopped rearing, eyeing him warily, scuffing the ground.

"Amazing…" Father Maxwell breathed. "That horse usually cannot stand anyone near it but my son."

Quatre smiled, not taking his eyes from Trowa, who was directly in front of the horse now. "Trowa has a way with animals."

Heero moved to Wing, who was standing quietly by with Sandrock and Heavyarms. He easily swung himself onto his horse, checking that his sword, knives and daggers were in place. Quatre followed suit, as soldiers quickly undid the rope tethering the horses to the fence. The blond, after a short conversation with one of the soldiers, led Heavyarms over to Trowa, who mounted it.

"He says the horse just galloped through the camp while they were setting up the tents, heading here, and they followed it," Quatre murmured to his friends, watching Heero reach over to take Scythe's reins and gently guide the still agitated horse out of the courtyard. "An accident, maybe?"

"No, if the rider simply got into an accident it wouldn't be so panicked. Most likely they were attacked," Trowa answered.

"My Lord, would you like us to bring a squadron after you?" one of Zechs' lieutenants asked.

Heero glanced at the man, manoeuvring the horses so that they were on the wide, straight path leading right out of the village. "If you can keep up."

Then he jerked the reins of both horses, and they took off like a shot, Quatre and Trowa close on his heels. A small, dangerous smile played on Heero's face as he let go of Scythe's reins, letting the horse lead, while Wing followed neck-to-neck. The soldiers all stopped work to gape at the sight of the four most beautiful horses they had ever seen racing past, white and black at the forefront and two shades of brown following. They knew their leaders' horses were unbeatable, but whose was the black horse, that could keep up? Then one of their lieutenants yelled out for a squadron, and they hurriedly turned back to work.

Heero revelled in the wind streaming past, loving the freedom it gave him. Open air all around, no guards following – his squadron would take quite some time to catch up. He could tell Wing was enjoying it, too, since he hardly had the chance to gallop without reservation. He heard Quatre whoop behind him, and allowed himself a rare grin. His friends and their horses, too, had been deprived of a good, long gallop for quite a while.

They were at the edge of the forest in no time at all, and Heero regretfully pulled on his reins, calling out to Scythe, "Whoa, girl!" To his surprise, the black horse slowed to a trot, allowing Heero to reach over and grab her reins once more. Her owner had trained her well. Leaning over, he said quietly, "Lead us to your master, girl, but quietly." The horse harrumphed, as if she understood and thought him stupid for having to point it out. For all he knew, she _could_ just be that smart.

Heero swung himself off Wing, grasping his horse's reins in his right hand while holding Scythe's reins in his left. He could hear Trowa and Quatre dismount behind him, and they advanced into the forest, following a rough, winding path through the forest.

Then they heard the sounds of fighting in the distance. They quickened their pace, and when they were close, stopped. "Stay here," Heero told his horses sternly. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Heero, what if we need the height advantage?" Quatre asked, frowning.

Heero shook his head. "I can hear them. Roughly twenty people fighting. We can take them. We also need to observe who's our enemy and who's not, so we need silence."

Trowa nodded, trusting Heero's honed senses. Quatre nodded a second after that, and they left their horses quietly pawing the ground while they advanced off the path. They found the body of a dead horse that had bled to death, then found the fight after that, and their eyes narrowed as they observed.

"Bandits. Twenty of them. Those two boys around our age should be Father Maxwell's son and his friend," Heero murmured, watching as an Oriental boy fought back-to-back with another person they could not see, the two surrounded by bandits. "They fight well, but they're outnumbered. Remember to avoid the three bodies on the ground when you fight. Don't kill them if you can help it. Let's go."

They burst out from the trees silently, drawing their swords. Heero cut down three men at once, while Trowa and Quatre's combination swordplay did for four. The bandits yelled and turned to face them, giving the boys in the middle a chance to attack instead of defend. Trowa and Quatre fought their way to the other two boys, while Heero drew a few men away from the circle.

"Little boys should stay home!" snarled one of the men, swinging a heavy sword at Heero. He ducked into the man's space and slashed his arms, cutting the nerves, then slammed into another bandit with his shoulder and knocked him out with the hilt of his sword. He heard Quatre yell and spun, seeing the Chinese boy unconscious, a bandit about to stake him with a broadsword. He launched himself at the burly man, slamming into him from the side. The man managed to slash Heero's left arm, a long ugly gash down the length of it, but he ignored it and sliced the man's thigh muscles, leaving him to collapse and writhe in agony.

He felt a presence behind him and whirled again, bringing his sword up in time to intercept a blow. He knocked the blade aside, but the man was better than the others at sword fighting, and neatly brought the blade back in an undercut. He parried, swung the sword around, the bandit parried and swung _his_ sword around. They locked hilts, and the man's face twisted as he snarled viciously, using his mass to force Heero down.

Suddenly the man's eyes widened and he collapsed, Heero barely managing to get his smaller body out from underneath him in time. He caught a glimpse of the second boy standing over the fallen body before he had to turn and block another sword thrust again. He easily fought the man off and disposed of the last two men, one of whom was about to attack the other boy, whose presence Heero could feel behind his back.

Taking a deep breath, Heero willed the adrenaline to go down. He found to his horror that he wished for more people to fight, that he could have killed these men instead of just injuring them. He closed his eyes, fighting against his training, and when he opened them it was to see wide, curious violet eyes peering from underneath long bangs.

He stumbled back, almost dropping his sword. Numbly he managed to get the blade back into the scabbard, staring at the braided autumn-haired boy in front of him, whose head was tilted to one side, a smile quirked on that heart-shaped face. _No… my god, is it him? After all this time?_

His common sense sneered. _Even if it is him, what of it? You're the perfect King now, the perfect soldier, the perfect leader. You can't feel. It can be used against you. Forget him, and remember your country! Remember that you have to stay unbiased! Remember that you have to lead your country to greatness, and the only way is to sacrifice yourself!_

That sounded so much like J it was disgusting. Yet he couldn't deny that he was right. He was king, and he was young, and so all the more reason he had to adhere to his training. He couldn't afford mistakes; people would be waiting for him to mess up and say 'I knew such a young boy couldn't make it as king'.

"Hey, you alright?"

But gods oh gods he sounded just the same as before, only his voice had deepened and was now a soothing melodious warm beautiful tenor, and those eyes were sparkling and that _smile_…

"Do I know you? You look familiar…"

What?

The smile turned to a puzzled frown. "What's your name? I think I really must have met you before, you look really really familiar." Violet eyes narrowed in thought. "Yeah… I know you. I know your eyes."

His breath caught, and to his horror he found himself restraining tears. What was the _matter_ with him? So his best and only friend he had as a child had forgotten him. So what? It was better this way, dammit! He couldn't afford useless ties!

"Hey… are you cryin'?"

He couldn't speak. Images of a younger, but still sweet voice asking, "Why're ya cryin'?" pushed through his mind, and he forced them down again. He looked up to see the other boy staring at him, brows furrowed. "You… ah, I'm so close to remembering! Where have I – "

"Heero! Are you okay?" Quatre came running over. "Why are you standing so still? Did you wrench something? I'm sorry I didn't come over sooner but Trowa and I were looking after the Eastern boy…"

Heero ignored Quatre's continued rambling. He couldn't tear his eyes away from that violet gaze, which had sharpened at the mention of his name. And then a hoarse word unwittingly slipped out from his throat. "Duo…"

Realization crashed into wide eyes, and Duo fainted.

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Er… the action scene was boring, wasn't it! I know! I'm sorry! I can't write action scenes for the life of me, so bear with it. There aren't many more of those, thank goodness. _And_ I was trying for a cliffhanger, but it's not a very good one, is it.

Okay. Um, good? Bad? Review please!

Next chap: Duo awakes, Wufei finds himself unworthy, Heero acts like an ice cube, Quatre worries, Trowa '…'s, and Zechs feels irritated.

**[Ashen Skies][Lord, what fools these mortals be]**


	3. Two: Five for Silver, Six for Gold

**Disclaimer:** I don't own or have any relation to Gundam Wing or any other Gundam series. I'm not making any profit from this, unless you count reviews.

**Pairings:** 1x2, 3x4 and likely 5x6… or if you want, 5x6x13?

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**Princes and Thieves**

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**Chapter Two: Five for Silver, Six for Gold**

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"So, how did you know his name?" Quatre asked conversationally, a flick of his head indicating the boy slumped in Heero's arms.

"…Knew him as a child."

Quatre frowned as something occurred to him. "He wouldn't be the thief you saved from a beheading when you were ten, would he?"

A raised eyebrow followed by a suspicious frown was his reply.

"Hey, come on, you're my friend! I make it a point to know all about you, and that includes digging into your past. So, how'd you get to know him?"

Heero considered ignoring the blond, but then decided it would only give him a headache when said blond pestered him until he gave in. "He sneaked into my bedroom when we were five."

Quatre's eyes widened. "That's the time you started to more openly resist J's training! Is he the cause?"

Heero glared at him. Exactly how much had the blond researched about him? There should be a limit to best friend nosiness. "Yes," he said curtly, then spurred Wing into a faster trot with a slight jerk on the reins. Scythe increased her pace to match his, not leaving Duo's side for a second.

The blond sighed, but let him go, keeping Sandrock cantering at her previous pace. Trowa drew up alongside him, green eye curious. "…?"

"That boy – Duo – is apparently the one who caused Heero to resist J when he was younger," Quatre sighed. "Heero cared enough about him to trade his freedom for the boy's life. The bastard had him shipped off somewhere instead. And after that…" he shrugged helplessly. "Heero just – gave in. Became who he is now."

"…?" Trowa tilted his head towards Wing and his two passengers.

"I don't know why he didn't go back to the city. I mean, if he were able to get into the castle when he was _five_, it wouldn't be a problem, right? Maybe he lost his memory or something. Hey! That could be it! We could ask Father Maxwell."

Trowa nodded. Quatre beamed. "Maybe we can finally get Heero to loosen up!"

"…"

"Yeah, I know, impossible, right? But you didn't see Heero's reaction to the boy – no, his name is Duo. I could feel his pain and shock, Trowa. Minute and barely there, but considering that I usually can't feel _anything_ from him, it's amazing. I have a good feeling about this, about Duo."

A small smile, only for him, flashed on Trowa's face, and Quatre smiled back. He understood Trowa's silences like no one else, and he knew Trowa understood how worried he was for Heero. They continued riding in silence.

The soldiers ignored them as they rode past, but Father Maxwell was waiting anxiously at his fence, together with another blond, motherly-looking woman. The both of them hurried forward when the five horses drew up in front of them, two of the riders holding unconscious figures in their arms.

"Duo!" the woman cried, hovering by as Trowa dismounted and carefully took the braided boy from Heero so that the king could dismount. Quatre did the same for the Oriental boy in Zechs' arms. The two carried the boys into Father Maxwell's house while Heero and Zechs tethered the horses to the fence and then hurried after them.

They found Trowa and Quatre on the second floor, gently laying Duo on the bed in what apparently was his room, while the other boy was placed on a temporary bed on the floor made of a few blankets. "What happened?" Father Maxwell asked.

"They were attacked by bandits, but we fought them off. Duo is fine; he just had an emotional overload. The other boy – "

"Wufei," Father Maxwell supplied.

" – thank you, Wufei was knocked out, but he should be fine. It's a minor wound, though he might have headaches for a while."

"Thank goodness," the lady breathed. She turned to the four boys with a smile. "Thank you for saving them both, young masters. I am Helen Maxwell, Hector's younger sister. Duo and Wufei are like sons to us, and we're glad you brought them home safely."

Father Maxwell smiled. "Yes, we are. Come, let's find somewhere more comfortable to sit, shall we?"

"Actually, if it's all the same, we would rather sit here," Quatre said quickly, shooting a glare at the others to warn them not to protest. "We can brief Duo and Wufei when they wake up, which I don't think will be too long. They'll want to know what happened."

Father Maxwell raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Very well, my Lords. Perhaps you'll want some water, though?"

Quatre smiled in relief. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

The adults left, and Heero glared at Quatre. "What is this about?" he demanded icily.

"He's your childhood friend," Quatre said calmly, but the glint in his eye spoke of determination.

"He is but a stranger now," Heero said coldly. "It is best if he remains that way."

"You can't say he doesn't mean anything to you. When he fainted you rushed to catch him, and when Zechs and his squadron arrived you didn't want to relinquish him to the care of the soldiers!" Quatre snapped, annoyed.

"I was already holding him," Heero replied coolly. "And my mastery of Wing is better than anyone else's, so it would make sense for me to hold the boy. With their inept horsemanship, they would just drop the boy."

"How about me? Trowa? We could have held him."

Heero was already regretting his impulsive possessiveness of Duo. "Didn't Zechs hold the other boy? Why aren't you nagging him on it?"

"He _likes_ Wufei! Didn't you see the way he looked at him?"

"Hey! I didn't – " Zech's protest died on his lips as he saw the look on Quatre's face that just _dared_ him to say it. "Okay, so I find the boy attractive," he mumbled.

"See?"

At that moment there came a knock on the open door, and Father Maxwell smiled amusedly at the startled looks on the boys' faces. "Don't mind me," he said cheerfully. "Just continue to work out your teenage frustrations."

Zechs and Quatre blushed, looking slightly mortified. Heero just looked impassive.

"I was told to tell you of the dinner feast we'll be hosting in your honour tonight," Father Maxwell informed them. "One of the villagers will come to fetch you from your camp. And – my Lord! Your arm!"

Heero glanced at his bandaged arm, which he had taken care to hide from the adults' view previously. "I will see the doctor to bandage my wound properly," he announced, ignoring Quatre's indignant look. He nodded curtly to Father Maxwell before striding off.

The older man sighed and smiled sadly at the boys still in the room. "He needs some care, young'uns. Such a shame you all have to shoulder adult responsibilities when you should be enjoying your youth."

Quatre seized this chance to speak. "Father, Duo is not your child, is he?"

"Only in the figurative sense. J's soldiers dumped him in the square, unconscious and his head bleeding, when he was about ten years old, seven years ago. Helen and I took him in. When he awoke, he had no memory of his past years, only his name."

The blond nodded. "That explains it. Thank you, Father."

The man knew a dismissal when he heard one, so he gracefully bowed and left, closing the door behind him this time. Quatre looked at Duo. "I wonder if he remembered?" he mused. "Before he fainted, I could feel shock and realization, so he _must_ have remembered something."

"Or maybe he just realized the boy who'd saved him was the new King," Zechs said dryly. "And _what_ were you thinking! Treize would have my _head_ if he knew I'd let you three dash into battle without even a few extra soldiers to guard you!"

Quatre shrugged. "It's not your fault no other horses can compare to ours."

"_You_ tell the Commander that," Zechs said, irritated.

"We fight better than any average soldier, Zechs, you know that," Quatre sighed. "We can very well protect ourselves."

"I repeat: _you_ tell the Commander that."

A groan interrupted them, and they glanced at the two unconscious boys, only to find that one of them was slowly waking up. "Unh…"

"Ah, Wufei, isn't it?" Quatre said cheerfully, keeping his voice soft so as not to worsen the headache the Oriental boy was sure to have. Zechs moved over to the boy and helped him slowly sit up.

"Where… why am I in Maxwell's bedroom?" a slightly accented voice croaked as black eyes blinked hard, adjusting to the light.

"You were knocked out by one of the bandits," Quatre replied. "Just after we came to help. They're either dead, or being held by our soldiers until we can talk to them."

Wufei fixed a steady gaze on Quatre. "Then I thank you. I – and Maxwell – we are in your debt. You are…?"

"Oh! How silly of me, I'm Quatre Winner. This is Trowa Barton, and the guy hovering beside you is Zechs Marquise." The blond hid a grin as Wufei locked eyes with Zechs, and a faint blush stained both their cheeks.

"Thank you," Wufei murmured, watching Zechs.

At that, the long-haired man grimaced. "Not me. I only arrived after the fight was over. There _is_ one more person you have to thank, and that's Heero Yuy."

Black eyes widened. "The king? Then – I am a fool. I am sorry, I did not recognize your names. I apologise for any – "

"Stop, stop. Please, don't stand on formality!" Quatre said sternly. "We're friends, understand?"

Wufei cracked a small smile. "Yes, my Lord. May I ask where is the king himself, if you all are here?"

"He… er…" Quatre looked at Trowa pleadingly.

"Left."

Quatre shot him a 'oh-that's-_so_-helpful' look. Trowa shrugged.

"Why'd he leave?"

The voice was soft and weak, and startled everyone in the room into turning to stare at the figure lying on the bed. Wufei was the first to speak. "Maxwell! How long have you been awake?" he demanded.

"When you introduced yourselves." Violet eyes caught Quatre's gaze. "Why isn't he here?"

Seeing Duo struggle to sit up, Quatre moved forward to help him. "He… had other pressing matters to deal with."

"Like what?"

"Who knows?" Quatre shrugged lightly as he propped Duo against the wall with pillows. "Kingly matters, I suppose."

Duo laughed mirthlessly. "You can't lie very well, Quatre. Can I call you Quatre?"

The blond sighed, sitting down next to Duo. "No, I can't, and yes, please do."

Duo closed his eyes. "What's happened to him?" he whispered. "His eyes were so dead… he's changed so much. What did that bastard do to him?"

Quatre blinked. "You… remember?"

There was a sigh. "Yes. Back in the clearing… hearing him call my name and just _seeing_ him again brought back all my memories. It was too much for my mind to cope with, I guess, so I fainted."

"But you aren't…"

"Panicking? Screaming? Showing it?" Wufei supplied. "He has a great control over himself."

Duo nodded. "What he said."

Quatre hesitated. "Well then… I will speak freely, but what I say must not go out of this room."

Seeing Duo and Wufei nod, he began, "J tried to make Heero into what he thought was the 'perfect king' – cool, analytical, clear-headed, without bias, not too soft-hearted. It sounds good, yes, but it added up to him trying to hone Heero's natural intelligence while getting rid of his emotions. The reasoning is, if he doesn't feel, he won't be biased towards anyone, he will be able to deal out the appropriate punishments without feeling any pity, and he will be able to keep a clear head at all times since he has no personal thoughts interfering."

"That's unjustifiable!" Wufei hissed.

Quatre's eyes were sad. "Yet it is effective, and J did _some_ things right, at least. Heero is fair, very much so. He cares for his country, and his people by default, if nothing or no one else. He is determined to see everyone, regardless of rank and status, living satisfying and peaceful lives with equal opportunities – although whether this is J's teachings or some other influence, I'm not sure. I suspect the latter. According to my sources, around five years old, Heero started resisting J's training, veering off J's well-plotted path. It was as if he had someone else teaching him how to care, which was everything J was teaching him not to."

"Me…" Duo whispered. He turned pain-filled violet eyes to Quatre. "It was me, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Quatre smiled a little. "You might not have known then, but you helped return him a bit of his childhood with your friendship. You helped create the fair-mindedness Heero has now."

"But then I was sent away…" Duo closed his eyes again, leaning his head against the wall. "I wasn't there to help him."

"No, you couldn't help it. It isn't your fault."

"It is! If only I hadn't gotten caught…"

"Excuse me, but I'm still in the dark here," Wufei interrupted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Duo was a thief. He made friends with Heero when they were five, and got caught when they were ten. Heero bought Duo's life with the promise that he would co-operate with J if Duo were spared, and J sent Duo here. When he awoke, he'd lost his memory."

Wufei nodded slowly. "I see…"

"I need to help him."

They all blinked at Duo.

"I refuse to believe J got rid of Heero's emotions. It's impossible to do that. He must have taught Heero to control himself. Well, I'll break that control. I'm not going to give Heero up without a fight, dammit!" Duo growled, fists clenching.

Quatre smiled at him. "I'm glad you feel that way. Frankly, I think you're the only who can help. I've never seen Heero show as much emotion as when he saw you and watched you fall."

Duo looked at him hopefully. "Really? He still remembers me?"

"Of course," Quatre assured him.

"Then I'll go with you back to the city," the braided boy said decisively.

"Great! We'll need to come up with a reason why you – oh. Are you sure… are you willing to give up your family and friends just on the off-chance you might be able to help Heero?" the blond asked quietly, worriedly.

"I'm not going to give up all my friends – after all, you're a friend too, aren't you? And Trowa, there, and Zechs. You all care for Heero, and so do I, so we're friends!" Duo beamed.

Trowa blinked. "…"

"What kind of logic is that?" Zechs demanded, irritated.

"The kind that only people with higher mental processes can grasp," Duo said haughtily, but then spoiled the effect by grinning at Zechs. "You _are_ a friend, aren't you?"

The Captain hesitated, and then sighed. "Any friend of Heero's is a friend of mine."

"See?"

"Then your family?" Quatre persisted.

Duo smiled a little wistfully. "Father Maxwell and Sister Helen will understand."

The blond considered that, and then nodded. "Yes, they would… Well! We should inform the adults that you two have woken up, and let them fuss over you while we get the camp – and ourselves, of course – in order before the feast tonight. Oh, and we need to check on Heero, too."

Duo latched onto his last sentence. "Heero? What happened to him?"

"Oh, I think it was when he was saving Wufei that his arm got cut open," Quatre said with a cheerful smile. "Don't worry, he heals fast, and he had no problem carrying you here, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal."

"Not a big deal!" Wufei almost yelled. "The king himself risked his life for me and got hurt in the process. I am truly in his debt." He took a deep breath, composed himself, and said calmly, "If you are not against it, I would like to follow Maxwell to the city with you. I will pledge my services to the King, and protect him as he did me."

Zechs raised an eyebrow. "Just because he got hurt?"

"My honour demands it," Wufei said firmly. "Besides, how could I leave Maxwell alone? You have no idea what he is capable of. The city would be destroyed."

"Hey!"

Zechs laughed. "We'll leave you two now, then. We need to get things in order, not to mention questioning the bandits."

"Make sure to think of something you could do that would benefit Heero's cause," Quatre added. "We need a solid reason to have you follow us, otherwise Heero would outright refuse to have you two around."

"Okay, then!" Duo said cheerfully. "See ya at the feast?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

[coughs] I really don't like this chapter. I really, _really_ don't like this chapter. It's so… loopholey! So… so… contrived! So cliché! Argh! [tears hair out] I'm sorry, but I really dislike this chap. Gah. But… it was a necessary evil.

I apologise for the poor standard of this chapter, but I simply do not have the brainpower right now to edit it. So, please, bear with me for now. I promise the terrible obviousness of it will lessen.

And yes, 5x6 or 5x6x13?

**[Ashen Skies][Devil in the wishing well]**


	4. Three: Plots and Plans

**Disclaimer:** I don't own or have any relation to Gundam Wing or any other Gundam series. I'm not making any profit from this, unless you count reviews.

**Pairings:** 1x2, 3x4 and likely 5x6… or if you want, 5x6x13?

* * *

**Princes and Thieves**

_Chapter Three: Plots and Plans _

_

* * *

_

It was a while after the nobles had left when Duo and Wufei entered the kitchen, talking quietly but heatedly amongst themselves. Sister Helen and Father Maxwell looked at each other with raised eyebrows when they heard, 'valuable', 'stupid', 'the king', 'stupid', 'stealing', and 'stupid'.

At a discreet cough, the teens looked up with identical startled looks. "Oh, Father, Sister – didn't see you there," Duo said cheerfully.

"We heard some… dubious snatches of conversations," Father Maxwell said.

"On Duo's part, at least," Sister Helen added.

Duo waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, it's nothing." At the disbelieving, inquiring looks thrown his way, he sighed and elaborated, "We were just trying to come up with plans that would endear us to our dear King."

"And why would you want to do that?"

"So that he'll have no reason to chase us off when we follow him back to the city."

There was a pause.

"Er…" Duo scrambled for words to explain their decision.

Then the Father smiled. "People who are stolen from do not usually welcome those who stole from them with open arms."

A wide grin broke out on Duo's face. "No, no, we were planning to steal it secretly, and then return it so that he can be in our debt," he explained.

"Oh, Duo, trust you to come up with such a reckless plan," the Sister sighed, but the smile on her face spoke of amusement.

"I told him it was stupid," Wufei muttered to no one in particular.

"Well, no one has a better idea!" Duo grumbled.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "We _could_ just go out and look around the soldiers' camp, see if there's anything we could do. Remember they were saying something about questioning the bandits? Perhaps we could help out."

"Hey, that could work – why didn't you speak up earlier?" Duo demanded. "Never mind, let's go!" He grabbed Wufei's arm and started dragging him out of the kitchen. Suddenly, he paused and looked back at the two adults sitting at the table. "Are you sure… this is… is this alright, with you?"

They smiled back at him. "We never expected to keep you here forever," Sister Helen said gently.

"You have to follow your heart," Father Maxwell agreed.

Wufei nodded. "Thank you for understanding," he said seriously.

Duo smiled. "Yeah, what he says. Thanks."

Then they were gone.

The smile slipped from Sister Helen's face as she looked to Father Maxwell. "I never expected… but I wished. But it would be selfish of me to give them any doubt at all about leaving, wouldn't it?"

The Father patted her hand "You did the right thing," he said quietly. "This will always be their home, but they belong with those young ones."

"I understand." She rose determinedly. "Well, no use in sitting here talking – I've got to prepare my share of the food for tonight's feast."

"And I must oversee the setting up of the square," Father Maxwell agreed, getting up as well. "Or do you need some help?"

"No, I can manage on my own"

"Very well."

* * *

Shouting could be heard as they neared the camp – now, this would ordinarily be an expected thing, but Duo and Wufei detected very clear strains of alarm and panic in the haze of voices. Breaking into a run, they wove through the soldiers, tents and various objects littered around the campgrounds, heading towards the source of the commotion.

Someone was running towards him – going against the flow of people – and instinctively Duo dropped to the ground, bringing his leg around in a low sweep, bracing himself against the grass, just in time to knock the figure's legs from under him. It was a man, Duo noted distractedly as the poor guy hit the ground hard, all the air exploding from his lungs in a breath.

He was already back on his feet by the time the pursuers caught up. Three soldiers piled onto the man he'd knocked down, and two more produced rope from nowhere and began tying him up. As they finished the last knot, Zechs strode up to them, grim-faced, splotches of blood staining his uniform.

"Aiden?" one of the soldiers immediately asked him, dread on his face.

The Captain shook his head. "Stomach wound, too much blood. Can't find the doc. All we can do's make him comfortable. You got the bastard?"

The soldiers, grief-stricken at the news, turned their sorrow to fury as they hauled the man roughly to his feet. "Yes sir. Actually, this guy here got him flat on his face so we were able to catch up." They nodded at Duo.

Zechs looked at Duo and Wufei and forced a smile onto his face. "Hey. Glad you're well enough to be running around and downing people."

"I'd like to see that man of yours," Wufei interrupted. "I know medicine."

The silver-blond Captain looked at him, considering, then shrugged. "What the hell, it can't hurt. You guys clap the bastard in the stocks," he said to his soldiers. Then he nodded at Duo and Wufei. "Come with me."

As they hurried after him, he told them, "You'll have to wait, though. Aiden's the horsemaster, he was bringing Wing back to the stables when he was hit. Bastard got out of interrogation, grabbed a knife, and Aiden was at the wrong place, wrong time. We've got five or so soldiers trying to rein Wing in, but really, Aiden and the King's the only ones Wing'll listen to. So before you can treat Aiden, we've got to get him out of the mess around Wing."

They arrived at the scene, then, and it was clear Zechs hadn't been exaggerating. Wing was rearing on his hind legs, front legs flailing and lethal. If he were canine, he'd have been snarling; as it was he was whinnying loud enough to split eardrums. Zechs made his way over to the cluster of men at one side, shouting orders to move Aiden carefully, and Wufei followed. Neither of them noticed Duo stop, watching Wing with awe, and then moving towards the white horse.

Wufei shoved aside a few men to get to Aiden. The horsemaster was lying on the ground, gasping for breath, face pale and hand pressed to his stomach, where blood was trickling out from underneath his fingers. Wufei took one look at the scene and turned to Zechs, annoyed. "Get those men to _back off_ and give the man some air!" he snapped, turning back to drop to his knees beside Aiden without waiting to see if he was obeyed.

Zechs blinked at Wufei's back, before his lips twitched in a smile. Damn but the boy was cute when he was all commanding and assertive. "You heard him, back away," he ordered his men, and they obeyed, wide-eyed.

Wufei was examining Aiden. "Blood's not clotting… blackish, trickling. Viscous," he muttered to himself. "Okay." He raised his voice, not bothering to look up as he began tearing strips off his tunic. "I need kingspray, daffides, mugsworth…" he rattled off a list of herbs, and a few soldiers hurried off each time he named one.

It took Zechs, watching him, a few seconds to realize that the neighing and yelling behind them had stopped. Surprised, he made his way out of the crowd around Aiden – and encountered another crowd in a circle behind him. Frowning, he pushed through the weirdly silent ring and ended up staring at the impossible scene in front of him.

Duo was talking quietly to Wing, stroking the horse's head, as if having some private conversation with a friend. The horse snorted occasionally, watching their audience with one wary eye, but the few times it made to head for someone Duo gently called its attention back to himself.

It was unbelievable, and weirdly fascinating to see Wing, a terrible force to reckon with in battle, so calm and docile with a stranger. Its usual reaction to unknown people getting close to him was to kick their heads in with its hooves; even somewhat more familiar people like Zechs couldn't get within a few strides of the horse without it beginning to scuff the ground warningly.

The soldiers were watching in awe. Murmurs were beginning to pass through the crowd, the initial silent shock fading, and Zechs had no doubt the whole camp would hear about this by the end of the hour. He grinned to himself; this was the perfect excuse to use with the King – they couldn't have planned any better.

Zechs stepped forward, into the circle of space inside the ring, and smiled at Duo. "Would you mind helping with the horses until Aiden is up and about? You seem to have a knack with them."

Duo caught on easily and grinned back. "Sure. If you'd show me where to bring Wing?"

"Of course. Follow me, I'll tell you along the way what you need to do for the horses."

They passed Wufei and Aiden's circle, soldiers hurrying to and from it. Zechs hoped Wufei would succeed, not only for Aiden but also for himself – Sally, the King's personal doctor, would be glad for extra help, seeing that she was the only doctor in camp. He sent a quick prayer up as they walked, the soldiers giving them a wide berth when they saw Wing trotting behind.

_Please, let Heero accept them. He needs all the help he can get. _

_

* * *

_

Quatre woke him in time to prepare for the feast – that is to say, ten minutes before he was supposed to be at the village square. He felt drained, more of an intangible emotional weariness than a physical one; his arm hurt, but he'd learned long ago to ignore that sort of thing. For once he gave in without a fight to Quatre's insistence that he help Heero dress, and as he dully obeyed Quatre's gentle commands to move your arm, turn this way he vaguely decided to blame it on his injury if anyone asked, later on. Everything just seemed so… pointless, all of a sudden. Bland and routine, dull and monotonous.

He let his training take over, or he would have gone straight back to his tent once he stepped out of it. He nodded at those who greeted him, made a few comments here and there on the tidiness of uniforms, spoke with those villagers who were brave enough to come forward and strike up brief conversations with their King. Inside, he was staring blankly out at the world as he tried to figure out what was the cause of this tired apathy, coming out of nowhere.

_He's older, he's different, he doesn't remember._

His injury, perhaps? Loss of blood caused fatigue, Sally had always drilled into his head those first times he'd lost himself in the fiery wonder of fighting, or darting forward and lunging back, of the intricate dance between opponents. He had to be careful, she said, for blood is a precious thing, and even if you like the way it sings in your veins when you fight you will lose it if you fight too much, for you'll inevitably be cut.

_I've never forgotten him in all these years struggling with J._

Or maybe it was the exhaustion of a sudden adrenaline rush after days of being in the saddle, trying to keep awake as they pushed for time through ungodly hours. All his soldiers were tired, he could tell; they trudged along dusty roads underneath a thankfully not-too-hot sun, and when their destination was in sight you could almost hear the relieved murmurs and feel the cool rush of air from their thankful sighs.

_Am I so insignificant to him?_

And at night, when they were asleep, he had to stay up and write down all he'd observed, the plans he'd formulated when riding during the day, the problems of each settlement and the solutions he could implement, how much of the budget he should allocate… it was a nightmare of information and facts and ideas, and he had to makes sense of it all.

_I cannot know him again. I cannot waste all these years of hard work._

As to this feast… he hated things being blown out of proportion, pomp and glitter and too-much, too-loud. Every place they'd come to, the citizens always threw some over-priced banquet to welcome him, when he'd always preferred a quiet meal alone or occasionally with friends who didn't talk too much. Such pompous events always tried his nerves.

_He's lost to me for good, now._

Yes, that was it. He was feeling moody because of exhaustion and annoyance and his injury. Unimportant things, unavoidable things.

It would pass.

* * *

Oh dear… Heero's being a twit as usual and not listening to his inner voice. Will the other boys prevail and defeat the evil that is, uh, other-Heero? Will they get through to that struggling inner voice that's trying to make him see sense? Tune in to the next chapter to find out!

Or actually, the next chapter will be more of 'will Duo get through to that struggling inner sexuality that's trying to make Heero lust after Duo?'

I am not cut out to be an announcer.

Well, this chapter was, again, rather boring, but in the next chapter… Duo and gauze. See-through gauze. Dancing… -grins-

Thanks to all those who reviewed this, or are going to review this now – the next chapter's for you!

**Be warned, though… I might have to up the rating.**

**-Ashen Skies-  
**"_I cannot know him again."_


	5. Four: Day and Night

**Disclaimer:** I don't own or have any relation to Gundam Wing or any other Gundam series. I'm not making any profit from this, nor have permission to write it.

**Pairings:** 1x2, 3x4 and likely 5x6, since quite a few people object to 5x6x13. Anyone wants to pick out someone for Trieze then?

* * *

**Princes and Thieves**

_Chapter Four: Day and Night _

_

* * *

_

The food was delicious, and Heero made sure to compliment the women of the village on it, giving them a small smile and getting warm, delighted beams in return. The village's elders and leaders, and Father Maxwell, together with the King, his two advisors and the Captain of his personal army, sat at the central table with a perfect view of the performances to come. Only the main table was properly served, while the rest of the villagers and the soldiers mingled around large tables filled with food, which they took at their own leisure.

Heero noticed that it was getting dark, and in a few minutes the small lamps that had been lit would not suffice. Wondering about this, he turned to Quatre and tilted his head in the direction of one of the lamps; Quatre, seeing this, smiled and shrugged a little. _I don't know, either, but they definitely have a reason so let's just go along with it,_ said the shrug, and satisfied, Heero turned back to his food and ate a spoonful of the really quite tasty pie – Shepard's Pie, Sister Helen had called it, if he remembered correctly. He would get the recipe from the Sister, if she allowed him to; he found that he preferred the simple food he'd been eating on this tour compared to the exotic, unidentifiable delicacies his chefs seemed determined to stuff him with.

A slow, rhythmic drum beat started off to Heero's right, and he looked up from squinting at his food, aware that the last of the natural light had just gone. Then a flute started playing to Heero's right, and the melody was almost alive in its beauty. Heero closed his eyes and listened closely, awed that such a sound could be wrung from a mere wooden flute, and almost sighed with disappointment when other sounds – lighter drums, fiddles, and other flutes – joined in to make a chorus. Somehow, despite the harmony of the chorus, the lone flute with the deep drum called out to him like nothing else.

Opening his eyes, Heero watched as flames systematically flared into life, one by one, in the cup of the torches that the young men of the village held, beginning with the torch directly to his right. The torches, as the light continued its steady way down the line, clearly formed a rectangle square in front of the table where he was sitting. Once the last light directly to his left had been lit, the torch-bearers raised the staffs the torches were set on, and jabbed them into the ground in a well-rehearsed move as the music swelled to a climax and ended. The villagers, soldiers, and Lords all applauded.

A young man in his twenties stepped into the rectangular clearing and bowed to the main table. When he straightened, a bright grin was on his face. "Lords and ladies, gentlemen and goodwomen – the festivities to welcome our King and his men begin now!"

Good-natured cheers erupted from the spectators at the side, and the young man waited for it to die down a little before continuing, excitement clear in his face. "My King, my Lords, elders and leaders and Father, good soldiers – we hope you enjoy the performances we have worked hard to perfect, and forgive any faults that might inadvertently crop up along the way. Eat, and be merry, and let your hearts be as full as your stomachs will be, tonight!" He bowed again, to loud cheers, and other men around his age joined him in the clearing as he straightened, and the music began.

Their dance-fighting was well choreographed and rehearsed; each knew exactly what to do and when to do it, and their movements were smooth and complemented one another as drums pounded out the quick, blood-pumping beat in the background. Heero's and Trowa's nods of approval, Zech's grin and Quatre's beam caused the men to stand up tall and proud when they were done, and they left the clearing to be welcomed eagerly into the throng of soldiers who bombarded them with praise and questions on their art.

Next came the slower, softer performance of the girls of the village, dressed in colourful, bright outfits that swirled around them as they danced lightly. Their steps were intricately patterned, and their timing impeccable as they moved together. The applause from the table of nobles and elders brought happy blushes to their faces when they finished their dance.

The children put up a short play that caused much laughter, and the hopeful, eager looks in their eyes as they looked at him made Heero smile a little wider and clap a little louder. The older men performed a more traditional ballad medley that everyone, even the normally quiet King, joined in, and the women showed off their powerful, high voices in arias that no one else could match. The young men and women came back again in another performance, and the dancing and singing went on and on. The meal passed quickly, and before they quite realized it, dessert – a slice of rich-looking cake each with a fruit platter in the middle of the table – was placed before them, and the young man from the beginning was back to announce the last act.

"And now – this is quite a surprise, I must say, even to me, and I'm not surprised by much! – we have our last performance by a not-oft seen group. Leisha, Arkaan and Louie we're all familiar with, but what makes their dance tonight special is their usually missing fourth member, without whom the dance is never really complete, but whose talents we don't often get to see. Well, he's back tonight!" Over the excited cheers and calls, he yelled, "Let's welcome them, everyone!"

A single flute note split the air, and the unseen flutist held it until the crowd quietened to a barely audible murmur. Then, when all was quiet, the flute started again, this time with two other flutes joining its fast-paced, lively melody, and a pretty young girl about the nobles' age stepped into the clearing.

She was an amazing dancer, Heero could tell, one of the best he'd seen. The colours of her clothes were not as varied as the other dances previously, but the cut of it was unerringly suited to her movements. Then one of the three flutes stopped, the song turning slower and more lyrical, and a young boy stepped out to join her. Their partnership was flawless, and Heero marvelled as they seemed to read each other's minds.

Another flute stopped, and a second girl stepped out to join the pair; the three moved as one as the melody slowed and turned mournful. It took a few seconds for Heero's ears to recognize the same flutist from the beginning of the night; then suddenly, despite the intriguing play of movements going on in front of him, all his attention was focused on the remaining flute. The slow, liquid dance the three young people were crafting became an afterthought; the trembling flute melody filled his senses and caused his throat to tighten. _I'll have to talk to the flutist in person later,_ Heero thought dazedly as he listened. _Such beautiful music should be fully appreciated._

The music drew nearer, growing slightly louder in volume, and then the remaining flutist moved gracefully into the clearing, in front of his three friends, bright violet eyes locked on Heero's stunned ones, fingers still fluidly drawing the notes out from his flute.

Their gazes remained locked as Duo's fingers slowed, stopped; his friends' flutes taking over the now mysterious and low melody. Duo's flute was gently placed at the feet of one of his friends, and then he stepped forward until he was two arms' length away from Heero.

Even with all his willpower the King couldn't stop his eyes from slipping down to Duo's frame as he began to move to the music – a frame clad in wispy, willowy see-through cloth of a gauze-and-silk quality. When the breeze blew the fabric against his body it outlined his figure perfectly; without the breeze Duo's slow, sensual dance had the same effect. His movements spoke of deadly grace, and liquid mystery; it beckoned and kept just out of reach at the same time. Heero watched, tried to clear his mind, and forced himself to try not to _want_.

It was impossible to do that and watch Duo dance at the same time, and he gave up, drinking in the sight greedily with his eyes. When had the longing for his best friend turned into a different kind of longing?

The music drew to an end, the flutes taking turns to trill the lingering, repeating melody, and Heero raised his eyes to catch Duo's intense gaze again. _I know you_, that gaze said, and pleaded him to believe. _Know me._

Then the music ended as Duo relaxed into his final position – wrists as if bound above his head, on his knees, the fabric of his clothes settling on his body and outlining it so very clearly. _Take me_, that position said, and in that moment Heero wanted nothing more than to take advantage of that clear submission.

His fists clenched under the table, and he knew his knuckles were turning white. His nails dug into his palm, and he latched onto those pinpricks of pain, reminding himself of his duty, his decisions.

Duo might have, by some miracle, remembered – but he didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know the consequences. But Heero knew, and he couldn't let himself have the same luxury of not-knowing. He couldn't surrender, no matter how much it tore him apart.

* * *

When Duo had seen his dark-haired saviour back in the clearing with the bandits, his first thought was _wow_. He'd known his… preferences… for as long as he could remember, and he'd always been comfortable with it, and so had the village. And this boy had caught his eye like no other.

When he'd gotten back his memory and remembered how Heero was like, he'd felt the overwhelming urge to protect him. Duo couldn't imagine ever leaving his side again, after having put the young King through that once before – and see what _that_ had brought about!

_If only he wasn't the king,_ he thought in grim despair as he slipped into his costume for the night. _It would be so much easier if he weren't. So many rules…_

Then he let the grin surface on his face. _Rules that I'll find some way to slip around, I swear._

He had one quick rehearsal of the dance with his three friends, and then they left to go watch the performances. Well, his friends at least did – his eyes sought out Heero among the crowd at the main table. When he got his first good look at the King, clean and dressed in finery, his first emotion was _want_. Heero looked absolutely perfect, and Duo wanted him.

_Dammit… this complicates things._

But no, not really. He could work with that.

As the day faded, Duo smiled to himself at the way Heero bent closer to his food, narrowing his eyes at the plate, the better to see it. _Too cute_. When he played the flute to start the torches, and Heero's eyes slipped shut, he was entranced, and tried to put all he felt into that melody. He almost played the wrong notes in frustration when the other players had joined in, the magic of the moment lost as Heero opened his eyes again.

_I have to see if he feels for me the same way – if he can feel for me like that,_ he decided.

Originally the dance they'd planned on had Leisha go on first, then Arkaan join her, then Louie in a trio, then Louie and Duo with Leisha and Arkaan playing. Now Duo sought out Arkaan, since the girls were dancing.

"Hey, Ark! You know we planned on _Girls and Boys_ as our song, right? Could we use _Day and Night_ instead?"

The blond-haired boy gave him a Look. "Who're you planning to seduce, eh?"

"I just don't feel like dancing pairs tonight," Duo said – it wasn't a lie, since he didn't lie; he really didn't feel like dancing with Louie. All he wanted now was to dance with Heero, but since that wasn't possible… and besides, he really _was_ planning to seduce Heero, or something like that, which he couldn't do in a less intimate pair dance.

"Hmph. _Day and Night_ – okay, we could do that. I'll tell the girls when they come out."

Duo grinned. "Thanks!"

When the three other dancers in his group had gone out to perform what Duo felt was the most interesting and difficult part of the whole dance, and he was left playing the flute alone, he saw the music affect Heero once again. Suddenly the dance wasn't important – it was just him, the flute, and Heero.

_I want to play for him and him alone, just the two of us,_ Duo thought wistfully.

Then he stepped out to dance, and ensnare Heero.

Duo put his all into his dance like he'd never done before – every movement sensuous, showing off his body. He watched Heero the entire time, and saw the flashes of longing that even years of training could not hide. _Look at me, and remember me,_ he willed his lost friend. _Remember… and want._

When the dance ended, he looked up from under his lashes in his final position – kneeling in front of his three friends, head slightly bowed, arms stretched over his head in a graceful arc with his wrists crossed as if they were tied. _I am yours_, his body said. _Take me_.

Heero was staring fixedly over him as some point above the three flutists, and he felt a pang of sadness. Then he was aware of Quatre's eyes on him, and when he looked over, the blond gave him the brightest grin he'd seen and a discreet thumbs-up. _He can feel emotions,_ Duo remembered, and felt a smile surfacing. He fought it down, but when he looked to Heero's other side and saw Trowa look at him, look pointedly at Heero, then give him a small approving nod, he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. Hastily he got up, accepting Arkaan's helping hand, and the four of them bowed to the main table to overwhelming cheers and applause and escaped the clearing.

Delirious with their success, his friends soon dispersed to enjoy the food and the admiration of the crowd. Duo, however, lingered around the clearing, finding a good place to watch Heero as he'd been doing the entire night.

The elders were leaving the table, and the crowd dispersing. Soon only the nobles were left, and the stragglers of the village who ate the remaining food and gulped down beer. Duo was aware of nothing else but Heero, and took in every little detail. _He's changed so much in so many ways, but there are some things that are entirely the same,_ he thought with some amusement as Heero glared lightly at something Zechs, leaving the table, said in parting – that expression of his, the slightly scrunched-up nose and wry tilt to his lips, jolted Duo's memory and brought him back to childhood years.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice the drunken man step up to him, but was rudely yanked back to reality when the body impacted with his, causing him to stumble a few steps forward as stifling arms wrapped around him. "Looking pretty tonight, aren't ya little harem-boy?" a voice crooned in his ear, and Duo caught a faceful of drunken breath. He recognized the voice, and felt a little jolt of fear – despite his skill, if caught in a bear-hold like he was now, against a much stronger opponent, he couldn't do anything. And Epin, one of the middle-aged but still fit drunkards of the village, was, if nothing else, strong.

"Let go, Epin," he said as calmly as he could manage, running through all the ways he could get out of this quickly. There wasn't one, and he blanched as a disgusting wetness touched his cheek – the bastard was licking him, and one of his hands was wandering lower… if he waited just a little more, the hold on him would shift, and Duo could perhaps use his stance and –

And suddenly Epin's arms loosened as he yelled, stumbling back from Duo. Utterly confused, the braided boy whirled around, scrubbing at his cheek with his sleeve as he did. It took a moment to blink the light-spots from his eyes, having faced the torches before and having them at his back now, but when his eyes adjusted Heero's back was blocking his sight, and he could barely make out Epin sprawled on the ground. Taking a step to the side, Duo peeked out from behind Heero's form and saw the tip of the King's sharp sword resting against Epin's neck, Trowa standing ominously just behind Epin's head, hand on his own sword.

Heero had… protected him?

A tap on his arm caused him to turn to see Quatre looking at him worriedly. "Are you alright?" the blond asked, and there was an unexpected fierceness in his eyes as he continued, "When you stumbled forward, you stepped just enough into that light that we could see you. Do you want us to dispose of the bastard for you?"

Duo blinked, startled, then blurted, "You'd do that?" Then he realized what that sounded like, and quickly added, "Not that I want you to, of course, it's not a big deal, he does it often –"

Then he realized it wasn't exactly the correct thing to say, either, as Quatre's expression darkened and he was aware of the sudden tensing of Heero's body. The rasp of Trowa's sword being drawn slightly from his scabbard was loud in the sudden stillness.

"No, no, wait, that wasn't what I meant!" he exclaimed, hitting his forehead and berating himself mentally. "He's just drunk, when that happens he hits on people. I usually can fend him off, it's not a problem…"

He trailed off as Heero turned slightly to face him, sword still pointing at Epin. Those dark eyes he'd always marvelled at studied him, and up close Heero was all the more breathtaking. He turned fully to Heero, forgetting Quatre's presence. "Really, I'm fine now," he said softly, mesmerized. "Having you come to help is all I need to be fine."

Heero watched him for another second, and then abruptly turned away, sheathing his sword. He made to move off, then paused as if struck by an afterthought. In one fluid movement he crouched by Epin's head, the man suddenly extremely sober and terrified, and said something too low for Duo to hear before standing and striding off. Duo could only blink after him, and didn't react even when Trowa moved to Quatre's side and Epin took off like a shot.

"Are you really alright, Duo?" Quatre asked him gently, but he looked amused.

"Er, yes," was the still-stunned reply.

Quatre smiled openly at that. "You should have seen it – we caught sight of you and that man at the same time, but Heero was out of his seat before any of us even registered what we were seeing." Here he turned to Trowa with a knowing look in his eyes as he asked, "What did Heero say to that man?"

Trowa gave him a Look that said _I know what you're doing but I'll go along with it_ and repeated Heero's parting words. "Touch him again and you die."

"He did?" Duo's eyes were wide. "Er – sorry, but I have to go," he said in a rush, and turned and dashed off in the direction Heero had gone.

Trowa and Quatre watched him go, and when he was out of earshot the blond said cheerfully, "This is _terribly_ fun, isn't it, Trowa?"

"…"

"Yes, really, it's not often I get to see Heero off-balance. Duo's coming along nicely. Now, as for Zechs and that nice Wufei…"

"…!"

"Of course I'm planning on the two of them together as well! Didn't you see the sparks?"

"…"

"Okay, yes, I was partly distracted by the fireworks on Heero and Duo's side, but the attraction between the good Captain and Wufei is unmistakeable. Now stop arguing."

"…" Trowa sighed, then put an arm around Quatre's waist and tugged him to his side. Dropping a quick kiss on the blond's forehead, he gave him an exasperated smile and began walking, pulling the smaller teen along with him. Laughing, Quatre followed.

* * *

Well. Back from the dead! Due to, in particular, serena429's empathetic demands for me to update this story, I have found my bunnies, dusted them off, and wrote the latest chapter to this. Hope you liked.

Next chapter has Duo finding Heero and talking it all out… should be fun. -grins-

A big thank you to the wonderful people who reviewed, I love you all! Unfortunately I can't reply individually thanks to FFnet's dratted new policies. But I always read the reviews before I write, because they give me the encouragement I need to write on. So thanks.

**Ashen Skies  
**"_Dammit… this complicates things."_


	6. Five: Comings and Goings

**Disclaimer:** I don't own or have any relation to Gundam Wing or any other Gundam series. I'm not making any profit from this, nor have permission to write it.

**Pairings:** 1x2, 3x4 and likely 5x6, since quite a few people object to 5x6x13. Anyone wants to pick out someone for Treize then?

* * *

**Princes and Thieves**

_Chapter Five: Comings and Goings_

_

* * *

_

"Iman! Did you see the King pass by?"

Yet another shake of the head greeted Duo and he groaned out loud in frustration. "Great, just great… Thanks anyway." He looked around him for any clue as to where Heero had gone, but everything seemed normal. How could he have lost someone in his _own_ village?

"Dammit," he muttered, and walked another two steps before promptly plopping down right there in the middle of the path. This was stupid. He wasn't going to get anywhere –

"Are you alright?"

Duo blinked once, twice, and then turned to stare at the exact person he had been looking so futilely for. "You!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the King, and then let out a scream of frustration and flopped over onto his back, spread-eagled on the ground.

Heero was hovering over him in an instant. "What's wrong?" he asked, and Duo could detect a tiny spark of worry in that otherwise cold voice and those cold eyes. "You suddenly fell – and now you're lying on the ground –"

He cut himself off abruptly as Duo suddenly jumped up and grabbed his shirt. "Aha!" the braided boy exclaimed triumphantly. "I've got you now!"

Heero looked at him blankly.

"Uh…" Duo looked around at the villagers, who had stopped to stare in horror at one of their own attacking the King. Smiling cheerily at them, he said loudly, "Just thanking my Lord, here, for saving me and 'Fei today! No worries!"

Gossip travelled fast, he knew, and was relieved to see that this time was no exception. Everyone turned back to their business, and Duo pulled Heero into the small alleyway between the pub and the herb store. Heero, surprisingly, offered no resistance.

Then they were alone, hidden in the shadows with just enough light to make out each other's faces. Duo was suddenly awkward, as Heero just stood there silently, expressionless. Too late he realized he had absolutely no idea what he wanted to say. "Uh… I remembered my past," he said brightly, for lack of a better way to begin.

Heero was silent for a while before he shrugged. "Good for you."

Duo deflated. "But not for you?" He stared at Heero until the other boy looked away. Then he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I got caught back then, okay?" he said uncomfortably. "I got you into this whole mess –"

"No."

"What?"

Heero's voice held some of the same hesitation that Duo's had. "…It wasn't your fault."

Duo shook his head vehemently. "But I got caught, and then I just had to go and lose my memory and forget all about you –" The braided boy shut up as he saw something flicker over Heero's expression, and realization dawned. "Oh. _Oh._ Heero – how could you think – I could _never_ forget you. Not willingly. You're too important to me to forget! And didn't I remember you immediately when I saw you?"

"Not immediately," was the muttered response, almost too low for Duo to hear, and by the look on Heero's face he regretted letting it slip.

Duo's heart ached at those telling words. On impulse, he took two steps closer to the King and hugged him, wrapping his arms around Heero's waist and burying his face in his neck. "But I did," he whispered, and felt Heero's arms rise, hovering, and willed them to wrap around him.

They pushed him away instead.

Stumbling back until his back impacted the wall, he looked up pleadingly. "Heero –"

"I want you to forget me."

He could only stare.

Heero's gaze was intense in its coldness. "Forget me, and I will forget you. It is the only way. You are nothing to me now. We can never go back the way we were before."

"We don't have to!" Duo snapped, his tone coming out sharper than he'd intended, but he pressed on. Anger was beginning to grow out of his hurt. "We can remember the happiness before, and build a new friendship out of that! And I'm not _nothing_ to you, Heero Yuy, and you know it!"

"I will change that."

"Will you really? _Can_ you?" Duo paused, anger seeping out of him – he had never been able to stay angry at Heero for long – and sighed. "Do you _want_ to?" he said quietly. "And before you say it – what you want _does_ matter."

Heero's only answer was to turn to leave. Duo caught his arm. "I don't give up so easily," he informed the other boy.

The young King wrenched his arm free and whirled to glare at him. "I said that once," he bit out. "And now you too will find that it's easier to break than you think."

He strode out of the alley without another word, and Duo let him leave.

* * *

Trowa and Quatre blinked as they watched Heero stride past them on their left, radiating cold murder. They paused in the middle of the path and watched him head towards the fork in the path and take the right-hand one without hesitation, going back to camp. They looked at each other with questioning looks. 

Then they jumped as Duo passed them silently on their right, and there was a black look on his face. He didn't acknowledge them, just walked on down the path and took the left-hand fork. Trowa looked at Duo's retreating back, at the path Heero had just vanished down, and then looked down reprovingly at Quatre.

The blond gave him a sheepish smile. "Oops?"

Trowa raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Heero just saved Duo! And Duo was all eager to make things right, wasn't he? I thought nothing could go wrong… okay, okay, I'm sorry. I was wrong." He hung his head.

The taller boy sighed and patted the blond's head. When Quatre looked up, Trowa gave him a small smile, but then something caught his eye. With an inaudible sigh he gently turned Quatre to face the fork in the path again. Wufei and Zechs were coming down the two paths, looking back over their shoulders every now and then with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Aha!"

That exclamation was very soft, and almost under his breath, but Trowa heard Quatre anyway and shook his head resignedly. He smacked Quatre's head again.

"Ow!" The blond rubbed his head and looked pleadingly up at his lover. "Come on, Trowa, these two will be easy – they don't have any past between them that'll make things harder. But they're not going to get together without a push."

"…"

"Please?"

"…" He added a glare for effect.

"Trowa – oh hey, Zechs! And Wufei! A nice night for a stroll, isn't it?"

Trowa looked heavenward and raised his hands in a 'why do I even bother?' gesture. Wufei and Zechs, approaching the two of them, looked at him weirdly.

"Uh, is he alright?" Zechs asked Quatre as he stopped before them.

The blond smiled sweetly and elbowed Trowa in the side. "He's absolutely fine. Just peachy."

Wufei spoke up. "My lords, did something happen to Duo? I passed him on the road just now and he would not even acknowledge me, and growled when I greeted him."

Zechs looked at Wufei, startled. "I just passed Heero, and he glared at me when I greeted him – have you even been on the receiving end of his glare? He looked like he wanted to gut me with a spoon and barbeque me."

"Actually, he prefers to grill his food."

Zechs looked at Wufei.

Wufei looked at Quatre.

Quatre looked at Zechs.

"I didn't say that!" the three of them exclaimed indignantly at the same time. There was a pause.

They turned to stare at Trowa, who simply stared back at them.

"Okaaay," Wufei said slowly. "Uh – okay." He seemed to be at a loss for words. Zechs just gaped.

Quatre recovered faster, being used to his taller lover, and seized his chance. "Actually, I was wondering – if the two of you could finalize the details, make contingency plans, and so on? For coming with us to the capital. Zechs, you know how Heero's like, and Wufei, you know the skills you and Duo have."

The two unsuspecting men shrugged. "Good idea," Zechs agreed. "Heero will definitely try everything to get rid of Wufei and Duo, so a half-baked plan won't do. If Wufei doesn't mind…?"

Wufei shook his head. "It is fine, my lords."

"Quatre," said Quatre immediately, as Zechs went at the same time, "It's Zechs." The two grinned at each other while Trowa nodded.

As Wufei smiled his surrender, Quatre looked up at Trowa. "Shall we go check on our stubborn lovebirds?"

Trowa gave him a Look. It was something like this: (¬ .¬)

Quatre just smiled sweetly, grabbed his arm, and dragged him in the direction Duo had been going, calling a 'See you later!' over his shoulder.

The green-eyed man turned his head to look forlornly at the retreating backs of Zechs and Wufei. He wished he was going with them… he loved Quatre, really he did, but sometimes the blond didn't know when to stop.

He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Well, now things are out in the open between Heero and Duo, and Wufei and Zechs are getting there. Ooh, how exciting. 

Or not.

Drat FFnet, I'm going to reply to reviews anyway.

Those who read my other fics might notice I'm updating a few in a row, or going to anyway, and this is why. I've been going back over my stories and their reviews, in hopes of getting ideas to write, and what I got was inspiration – by all your comments.

For all my reviewers, who put up with my insane updating times and yet still manage to review so enthusiastically, and make me smile and want to write more. For Kerrilea who was reviewed backwards in chapters because she was too frustrated with my updating speed (sorry! To everyone as well). For people like Noroi-Inu and Rekishi Niiro and Silver Cateyes and Nikkler, who keep reviewing all my fics and never give up on me, and for people like AmePiper and Serenity Cathedral and Borglemash who wrote long comments (or relatively long anyway) about what they liked and what they didn't, because only then do I have an idea of what's good and what's not.

Thank you, so very much, to you all!

Okay, now please don't report me if this is against the rules (I've gotten contrasting information about this, so I have no idea). I won't do it again! Or at least, I won't do it much.

If anyone is really, really frustrated with my never-appearing updates, you can find me at Livejournal (check my bio) and leave a note, and I'll get to it ASAP. Or email me.

**Next Chap:** Quatre and Duo come up with – and implement – a plan! Trowa as a not very willing helper (Quatre threatened him into it, whee guess how), Wufei as a sceptical critic, Zechs as a worried subordinate.

**Ashen Skies  
**"_I didn't say that!"_


	7. Six: Persuasion and Manipulation

**Disclaimer**: I don't own or have any relation to Gundam Wing or any other Gundam series. I'm not making any profit from this, nor have permission to write it.

**Pairings**: 1x2, 3x4 and likely 5x6, since quite a few people object to 5x6x13. Anyone wants to pick out someone for Treize then?

**Princes and Thieves**

_Chapter Six: Persuasion and Manipulation_

"He's so _hurt_, Quatre."

The blond had to look away from the pain in Duo's eyes. "I know," he said quietly. Trowa's hand found its way into his, and he gave his lover a small smile before turning back to Duo again. The other boy was lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, the picture of despair. When Quatre had dragged Trowa to look for Duo, he'd envisioned pulling Duo out of what he'd thought was a sulk and spending the rest of the night coming up with outlandish plans to snare Heero… but he hadn't realized how low Duo's optimism has sunk.

He hesitated, but then had to ask, "Do you still… do you think… do you still want to help him?"

Duo sat bolt upright and the expression on his face was fierce. "You never have to ask me that question. The answer will _always_ be yes."

Quatre's smile was bright, his cheerful self back again. "What are we waiting for then? Let's come up with a plan! Let's see – we could always announce that we're starting a new harem for him, though of course, it'll be a one-man harem – unless we put Wufei in it too, and then Heero can gift him to Zechs. Or we could disguise you as a box! And pack you into one of the carts… oh, you could be a –"

Trowa sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead as Duo burst out laughing, cutting Quatre off mid-sentence. Pleased, the blond watched as the braided boy gasped for breath amidst his laughter. Something had been building in Duo, something dark, but now it was gone.

He glanced at Trowa, who was watching him. When the taller boy saw him looking, he gave Quatre a small nod of approval. When Quatre gave him one of his immensely satisfied 'I'm-not-Heero's-chief-diplomat-for-nothing' smiles, he snorted a little and shook his head.

When they heard a small cough, they looked back at Duo to see him smiling amusedly at them. "You two make such a sweet couple that if I were an ant, I'd eat you up," he informed them lightly. He finally won the first full smile he'd seen on Trowa and a blush from Quatre, as Trowa tugged the blond to his side and etched a small bow.

_I can do this,_ Duo told himself as he found chairs for the two other boys to sit. _Heero still trusts people like Quatre after all, and I have him on my side. I can do this… for Heero's sake._

And that said it all, really. It was for Heero, so nothing was impossible.

When they had all settled down, Duo remembered that the couple before him still didn't know of his new horse master position, nor of Wufei's doctor's aide role. He related the incident to them, and they agreed that their case was secure enough that not even Heero should be able to do anything about it.

"Since we have your jobs settled, we need to arrange your housing next," Quatre decided. "I want you to spend as much time around Heero as possible, so we need to find some legitimate reason…"

"Riding," Trowa murmured.

Quatre clapped his hands in delight. "Yes, that's it! Riding! You're Heero's new riding partner," he told Duo firmly.

"Uh… what's that?" Duo said, bemused.

"Well – every week Heero insists on having these riding sessions, and usually it's the three of us and Zechs. The two of us spend most of the time together, though, and Zechs is too much aware of his subordinate role as Heero's subject to properly ride with him. Heero's too nice to say it outright, but I think he wants some real competition… he has these full-out gallops with Wing, sometimes, and we two can barely keep up, let alone Zechs." Here he broke off to beam at Duo. "But after seeing Scythe… I believe you can."

"I should be able to at least match his speed, and I don't lack daring, either," Duo agreed doubtfully. "But will he let me ride with him? How about Zechs?"

Inspiration made Quatre grin. "Oh, we can ask Wufei to ride with us too! Then we can tell Heero that since Zechs will be occupied with Wufei, we thought it'd be better if he had another riding partner to take Zechs's place."

Duo laughed. "So you really _do_ plan on matchmaking Wufei and Zechs!"

"Hey, I prefer to think of it as… helping to forge new bonds."

"Uh huh. Will you let Heero know?"

Quatre's grin was feral. "Of course… so he can be occupied with the relationship between those two and not pay so much attention to _your_ friendship." At the flicker that passed through Duo's eyes, Quatre's expression gentled into a smile. "Or should that be… _more_ than friendship?"

Duo tensed. "I don't –"

"We support you," Trowa interrupted before Duo could get any denials out. Quatre just beamed and nodded.

Purple eyes stared at them for a long moment, and the couple could almost see the thoughts chasing each other around his head. Finally Duo smiled. "So the boy wonder speaks," he said lightly.

That surprised a laugh out of Quatre, but he quickly sobered. "Yes… and when he does, he really means what he says."

Duo nodded slowly. "I… thank you." Then he quirked them a grin. "What are the odds, though, that the three most powerful men in the country are… you know."

"Four, since Zechs is quite influential in his own right," Quatre put in. "At least we know Treize is with Une…" Seeing Duo's questioning look, he explained, "Treize Kushrenada is the Commander of the king's Army, and Une's his secretary. After Treize, Zech's the next highest in command."

"Ah. So… now that I'm horse master, I technically come under the supreme command of the Commander?"

"Yes, that's right, but Wufei's under Sally's command – she's the head of the doctors in the palace. Oh! That's right… we still haven't decided where you're going to stay."

Duo hesitated, and then ventured, "I heard the nobles usually have… some sort of personal manservant."

It took a moment for Quatre to realize what he was hinting at. "Oh! Yes, but… Heero doesn't like that sort of thing. He usually does things for himself – but now… he _can't_," he said slowly in realization. "That arm of his – Duo, you're a genius!"

The boy flashed him a grin. "Thank you, thank you… I try."

"You'll stay in the tent next to his – there's a flap that can be opened so that the two are linked. I'll tell the soldiers to set it up; we bring it along out of habit but don't normally use it, see. Trowa and I are on the other side of his tent."

"How about Wufei?"

"Wufei… we'll put him under Zechs's command for now. We'll let the good Captain be his guardian."

They shared an evil grin.

"I don't think this is a good idea."

Surprised, they turned to look at Trowa. He was frowning a little. "Shouldn't we give Heero some space? You're setting it up so that he'll have no respite at all… he might end up pushing us all away instead if he feels trapped."

While Duo was still digesting the fact that Trowa could indeed speak in paragraphs, Quatre pouted at his lover. "That's the whole point, though, isn't it? To leave him no escape route so he'll have to surrender sooner or later."

"He's just as likely to self-destruct as to surrender."

Quatre narrowed his eyes. "Trowa… you're just protesting out of a misplaced sense of guilt, aren't you?"

"…"

The blond considered him for a moment, and then smiled softly. He leaned in and whispered for a while into Trowa's ear. Duo watched, puzzled, as one green eye widened and then shuttered.

When Quatre finally sat back down, looking pleased with himself, Trowa was smiling his small smile. Catching Duo looking at him, he shook his head. "Why do I even bother?" he said in the tones of a rhetorical question asked too many times. "I feel sorry for Heero."

"What did he threaten you with?" Duo asked, unbearably curious. To his amazement, a faint blush spread across Trowa's cheeks, and Quatre's cat-ate-the-aviary grin got even wider. "Okay… on second thoughts, I don't want to know."

There was a knock on the door, and it was Wufei's head that looked in when Duo called a 'come in'. "Ah, my lords – I mean, Quatre, Trowa. Duo, too… I had a feeling you'd all be here."

He entered, and Zechs followed behind him. "Zechs and I have been thinking about the plans, and we decided that we should try to just let things flow a natural course. Of course, Duo and I will continue to work in our respective roles, but other than that…" he trailed off at the sheepish look on Quatre's face and the entirely too amused smiles on Trowa and Duo's. "Okay, now what?" he said in resignation.

Their expressions changed over an impressive range when the trio's newly-formed plan was revealed. "Manservant!" Zechs yelped. "Treize will have my head for letting some unknown boy become the _king's_ manservant. And _both_ he and my lord Heero will have the _rest_ of me when they hear about the riding partner thing!" He sagged against the wall he was leaning against, mourning the imminent loss of his job.

"Don't be silly," Quatre said impatiently, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"They'll kill me," Zechs said to himself, oblivious to all. "They'll kill me and feed me to the horses. They'll kill me and use me to fertilize grass. They'll kill me and serve me up as one of those fancy dishes with godawful names. They'll kill…"

"Zechs!"

"Both of them are going to want to hold someone responsible. They'll want someone to blame. And since you two are untouchable – it'll fall to _me_," Zechs declared morosely to the room. "I'm going to lose my job. I'm going to lose my _life_. They'll kill me and leave me for the –"

"It sounds very far-fetched, and very tentative," Wufei interrupted. "There are so many ways my lord can react, and so many of those ways can go wrong. Someone can protest our being named to such important roles – riding partners with the _king_ for heaven's sake! – or object to our dubious backgrounds – or our competence – I really don't see how it'll help things," he said skeptically.

"I know Heero," Quatre said firmly. "I don't think things will turn out as badly as you think. And besides – you'll have Trowa and I vouching for you… that should be sufficient for anyone questioning your credibility."

Wufei gave up on convincing the blond and turned to Duo – but one look at the determined expression on the braided boy's face made him throw up his hands in exasperation. "If it fails, I will say 'I told you so' in an annoyingly smug manner and you will not be able to hit me for it because I will be right," he informed them very precisely.

"Sure thing," Quatre said cheerfully.

Duo, however, was more serious. "Please, Wufei, I have to try everything I can," he said earnestly. "You _will_ help in every way you can, right?"

The Chinese boy sighed. "Despite my objections… of course I will. You know that."

As Duo smiled his gratitude, Quatre turned to the last man in the room. "Zechs?"

"I suppose being used to fertilize the plants isn't such a bad way to go," he said with a half-smile.

Quatre grinned back. "Then we're set."

-thisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisalinethisisaline-

Crap... the lines I normally use to separate the different parts aren't working. Drat this editing thing.

Okay… now that the plans are set, we're all ready to rrrrrrumble!

Or not.

I managed to get this little bit out to tell you HELLO I'M ALIIIIVE and that I'm going to die again for one month or so. After which my very very important exams will be OVER and I will write to my heart's content, and just let anyone try to stop me. I'll distract them with brownies and kick them in the nuts while they're salivating.

Whee!

**Next Chap:** Duo shows up at Heero's tent! Lalala .

Any complaints, criticism, censure, condemnations, compliments, condiments or cookies… feel free to reCcount them (or Cook) them!

**Ashen Skies  
**_"Or we could disguise you as a box!"_


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